Thursday, October 2nd we loaded up the trailer with gear and 2 canoes.
Hit the road around 5:30 pm. Always later than I anticipate; and as always I forgot 2 things: pie crust and my camp table! No biggie, scrambled eggs instead of quiche, and stove on ground. Minor inconveniences.
We headed out to meet our comrades in Newtown CT, about an hour away.
When we arrived we steadfastly hit the road.
I knew all 3 of my crew fairly well save for one. everyone else hardly knew each other. I have been on a few trips where this was the case, so I was slightly reticent. Alpha Male Syndrome can get the better of a large group, but I was optimistic that 4 is a magic number, and 2 of the fellas happen to be my best friends.....I assure you we all returned from trip better friends than before.
We stopped twice for coffee, gas etc, and made it to the Inlet around 2;45am.
We set up our tents in the parking lot and tried to get a few hours of sleep before sunrise; suffice to say I got not one lick of sleep.
I've heard it said that, "The road to hell was paved on good intentions." and believe me when I tell you, I had the best intentions of getting up when I set my alarm: for sunrise at 6:52 am.
HA!!!! :rolling:
We did get rolling around 9am. And right off the rip, I knew we were in for a beautiful trip!
We were 2 canoes; 1. a 15' old town, and my 17' Stowe Mansfield.
A beautiful wooded beginning, and we are off!
Generally speaking the river was low, and we scraped by a few minor rapids, before hitting the swampy area and some sinuous bends.
We took 2 breaks en route to the bridge at the 5 Ponds Trail. One at a campsite before or after High Rock (can't remember?), and the second after Griffin Rapids at a pretty nice campsite.
Paddling was mildly brisk with a strong headwind most of the way, but far from hard. Our goal was to make it to Little Shallow before the sunset.
In hindsight, this was ambitious, having left after 9.
7am would've been much better. Heavy rain was called for on Saturday, so it was imperative we get basecamp set up before sundown.
There were approx. 10 beaver dams, and 2 log jams before the bridge.
The last 45 minutes or so we hit bottom twice and had to line canoe.
Trip upstream thoughts:
17' canoe a bit cumbersome around twists and turns. Ended up in the shrubbery quite a bit, and as a result: no photos on the way in. I really needed to be on point, and wasn't able to soak it all in as much as I would've liked to. Make no mistake, it was a gorgeous paddle!
Weather was stellar, but 15' canoe maneuvered much better.
As we passed the Cage Lake lean-to, my comrades in the Old Town were ready to get out and stay at this most beautiful spot! I assured them we would be back, and although they were tired, we pressed on.
we reached bridge (5 Ponds Trail) at around 4:30, stashed canoes, and loaded up our backpacks and gear and hit the trail.
I am no ultra-light backpacker, and enjoy bringing some unnecessary comforts into the woods. when I canoe, I usually bring even more, because, well, you can fit and "carry" more in a canoe.
hehehe
well, lets just say my normal 60lb Dana Designs TP10, when loaded with my coleman multi-fuel suitcase stove, a coleman oven, and a TON of fresh food, we all guessed it weighed around 90+ lbs.!!!!!!
In planning trip, the 4.3 mi. trip to Little Shallow seemed manageable, but it was 4:30ish, we had a few hrs. left of daylight, and though I felt fine, I was operating on perhaps an hour of sleep.
Reality: we made it to Big Shallow in an 1 hr 20 min. and it was hellacious for me! I will never again bring that stove and oven on the trail on more than a 2 miler. Now I don't regret it, and I'll tell you why shortly.
As I reached the sign for the Big Shallow lean-to, I was greeted by an Osprey chwerping over-head. A most auspicious sign!
Loons I have come to know in the 'dacks, but an Oprey! Very cool.
We set up cam, gathered 2 days of fire wood in preparation for rainy Saturday, and the trip was on!
Fire blazing by 6:30, bear bag ready, unpacked gear, cooking dinner.
"What'd you have for dinner" you ask? Shrimp scampi, with Angus steak, Garlic rolls in the oven, and glazed cinnamon buns for dessert!
Rivaled only by my lobster tails 8 years prior.
We brewed some tea, smoked cigars and called it a night!
It was a warm, somewhat balmy night, and we all slept well.
Misty rain rolled in around 3-4 am, with heavy rains most of the day Saturday.
We set out for a hike to Sand Lake around noon,after omelettes and coffee. Raining pretty good, and we quickly arrived, un-burdened by packs, at Little Shallow (our original) destination the day before. Sure we were there quickly and probably could've made it, but as lean-to's go, it was just "ok."
Cut to the chase: we never made it to Sand. Beaver activity hindered our progress, and after an hour of rough bushwacking, we decided to head back. Where the trail was washed out, we opined perhaps rolling up pant legs and fording through would've been better than trying to go around.
Rain let up at around 6:30, just enough to start a fire.
Eventually no rain at all, it got breezy, and stopped altogether.
We had macaroni and cheese with kielbasa for dinner. Cinnamon rolls again for dessert. This was the coldest night of the trip. Dipping into the high 20's.
Suffice to say, some of us were cold sleeping in the lean-to. It was very windy!
Sunday. Very cold in am. and warmed up as the sun grew higher.
Coffee, and breakfast and we were off to canoes.
This time a friend carried stove in his arms, without some of the gear I stowed in it. My pack was more manageable, but still heavy. We made it to canoes in about the same time in; 1 hr, 20min.
Canoeing was much more smooth out. Some of the rocky, shallow areas were significantly more mellifluous, and we made it to Cage Lake leant-to in about an hour.
This site is a BEAUTY! Not much in the way of fire wood without a bit of a jaunt, but the wind was braced through trees, the views were magnificent, and a beautiful camp site on the back side. We stayed in the lean-to., spent over an hour, (prob 2) gathering fire wood, and preparing for dinner, by eating a pre-dinner/lunch of dehydrated chili mac, and fettuccini alfredo with chicken.
Dinner was chicken fajitas with spanish rice and beans, sour cream, salsa, corn bread (coleman oven).
A cold night but way less windy. We were greeted by a Barred Owl as we smoked cigars and drank tea.
In the middle of the night a coyote howled nearby, and one in the distance.
We broke camp at 8 and left by 9.
Only had to get out of the canoe twice, not both paddlers either.
The rain on Saturday actually made the trip better! The level was at least 6 inches higher than on the way in! I'll have to confirm with trip mates, but it was easily 4 hours out as opposed to 6+ hours in!
I was able to snap more photos, and enjoy the ride a bit more.
We reached the Inlet, loaded our canoes and gear for our final destination of the trip: The LumberJack Inn.
Great time, great friends, the BEST paddle I have ever been on.
Haven't made it to the elusive Sand Lake (tried twice) although, I feel like trip was completely worth it! A meander indeed!
it is so true that...."A meander is the pleasantest distance between two points."
I'll post pics once I figure out how.
Cheers, ghost
Hit the road around 5:30 pm. Always later than I anticipate; and as always I forgot 2 things: pie crust and my camp table! No biggie, scrambled eggs instead of quiche, and stove on ground. Minor inconveniences.
We headed out to meet our comrades in Newtown CT, about an hour away.
When we arrived we steadfastly hit the road.
I knew all 3 of my crew fairly well save for one. everyone else hardly knew each other. I have been on a few trips where this was the case, so I was slightly reticent. Alpha Male Syndrome can get the better of a large group, but I was optimistic that 4 is a magic number, and 2 of the fellas happen to be my best friends.....I assure you we all returned from trip better friends than before.
We stopped twice for coffee, gas etc, and made it to the Inlet around 2;45am.
We set up our tents in the parking lot and tried to get a few hours of sleep before sunrise; suffice to say I got not one lick of sleep.
I've heard it said that, "The road to hell was paved on good intentions." and believe me when I tell you, I had the best intentions of getting up when I set my alarm: for sunrise at 6:52 am.
HA!!!! :rolling:
We did get rolling around 9am. And right off the rip, I knew we were in for a beautiful trip!
We were 2 canoes; 1. a 15' old town, and my 17' Stowe Mansfield.
A beautiful wooded beginning, and we are off!
Generally speaking the river was low, and we scraped by a few minor rapids, before hitting the swampy area and some sinuous bends.
We took 2 breaks en route to the bridge at the 5 Ponds Trail. One at a campsite before or after High Rock (can't remember?), and the second after Griffin Rapids at a pretty nice campsite.
Paddling was mildly brisk with a strong headwind most of the way, but far from hard. Our goal was to make it to Little Shallow before the sunset.
In hindsight, this was ambitious, having left after 9.
7am would've been much better. Heavy rain was called for on Saturday, so it was imperative we get basecamp set up before sundown.
There were approx. 10 beaver dams, and 2 log jams before the bridge.
The last 45 minutes or so we hit bottom twice and had to line canoe.
Trip upstream thoughts:
17' canoe a bit cumbersome around twists and turns. Ended up in the shrubbery quite a bit, and as a result: no photos on the way in. I really needed to be on point, and wasn't able to soak it all in as much as I would've liked to. Make no mistake, it was a gorgeous paddle!
Weather was stellar, but 15' canoe maneuvered much better.
As we passed the Cage Lake lean-to, my comrades in the Old Town were ready to get out and stay at this most beautiful spot! I assured them we would be back, and although they were tired, we pressed on.
we reached bridge (5 Ponds Trail) at around 4:30, stashed canoes, and loaded up our backpacks and gear and hit the trail.
I am no ultra-light backpacker, and enjoy bringing some unnecessary comforts into the woods. when I canoe, I usually bring even more, because, well, you can fit and "carry" more in a canoe.
hehehe
well, lets just say my normal 60lb Dana Designs TP10, when loaded with my coleman multi-fuel suitcase stove, a coleman oven, and a TON of fresh food, we all guessed it weighed around 90+ lbs.!!!!!!
In planning trip, the 4.3 mi. trip to Little Shallow seemed manageable, but it was 4:30ish, we had a few hrs. left of daylight, and though I felt fine, I was operating on perhaps an hour of sleep.
Reality: we made it to Big Shallow in an 1 hr 20 min. and it was hellacious for me! I will never again bring that stove and oven on the trail on more than a 2 miler. Now I don't regret it, and I'll tell you why shortly.
As I reached the sign for the Big Shallow lean-to, I was greeted by an Osprey chwerping over-head. A most auspicious sign!
Loons I have come to know in the 'dacks, but an Oprey! Very cool.
We set up cam, gathered 2 days of fire wood in preparation for rainy Saturday, and the trip was on!
Fire blazing by 6:30, bear bag ready, unpacked gear, cooking dinner.
"What'd you have for dinner" you ask? Shrimp scampi, with Angus steak, Garlic rolls in the oven, and glazed cinnamon buns for dessert!
Rivaled only by my lobster tails 8 years prior.
We brewed some tea, smoked cigars and called it a night!
It was a warm, somewhat balmy night, and we all slept well.
Misty rain rolled in around 3-4 am, with heavy rains most of the day Saturday.
We set out for a hike to Sand Lake around noon,after omelettes and coffee. Raining pretty good, and we quickly arrived, un-burdened by packs, at Little Shallow (our original) destination the day before. Sure we were there quickly and probably could've made it, but as lean-to's go, it was just "ok."
Cut to the chase: we never made it to Sand. Beaver activity hindered our progress, and after an hour of rough bushwacking, we decided to head back. Where the trail was washed out, we opined perhaps rolling up pant legs and fording through would've been better than trying to go around.
Rain let up at around 6:30, just enough to start a fire.
Eventually no rain at all, it got breezy, and stopped altogether.
We had macaroni and cheese with kielbasa for dinner. Cinnamon rolls again for dessert. This was the coldest night of the trip. Dipping into the high 20's.
Suffice to say, some of us were cold sleeping in the lean-to. It was very windy!
Sunday. Very cold in am. and warmed up as the sun grew higher.
Coffee, and breakfast and we were off to canoes.
This time a friend carried stove in his arms, without some of the gear I stowed in it. My pack was more manageable, but still heavy. We made it to canoes in about the same time in; 1 hr, 20min.
Canoeing was much more smooth out. Some of the rocky, shallow areas were significantly more mellifluous, and we made it to Cage Lake leant-to in about an hour.
This site is a BEAUTY! Not much in the way of fire wood without a bit of a jaunt, but the wind was braced through trees, the views were magnificent, and a beautiful camp site on the back side. We stayed in the lean-to., spent over an hour, (prob 2) gathering fire wood, and preparing for dinner, by eating a pre-dinner/lunch of dehydrated chili mac, and fettuccini alfredo with chicken.
Dinner was chicken fajitas with spanish rice and beans, sour cream, salsa, corn bread (coleman oven).
A cold night but way less windy. We were greeted by a Barred Owl as we smoked cigars and drank tea.
In the middle of the night a coyote howled nearby, and one in the distance.
We broke camp at 8 and left by 9.
Only had to get out of the canoe twice, not both paddlers either.
The rain on Saturday actually made the trip better! The level was at least 6 inches higher than on the way in! I'll have to confirm with trip mates, but it was easily 4 hours out as opposed to 6+ hours in!
I was able to snap more photos, and enjoy the ride a bit more.
We reached the Inlet, loaded our canoes and gear for our final destination of the trip: The LumberJack Inn.
Great time, great friends, the BEST paddle I have ever been on.
Haven't made it to the elusive Sand Lake (tried twice) although, I feel like trip was completely worth it! A meander indeed!
it is so true that...."A meander is the pleasantest distance between two points."
I'll post pics once I figure out how.
Cheers, ghost
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